For these articles, I will ask my lovely models to try out the playground equipment. There are lots of playgrounds around Geelong. Most of the playgrounds have access to toilets and some of them are close to picnic areas, barbecues, lawns and sometimes they are also close to a beach.

St Helen's Beach has a large playground, with different types of equipment including a slide and swings. There is a big toilet block with toilets and showers. St Helen's Beach is part of Corio Bay, so showering after a dip is a must. The Corio Bay can sometimes be quite salty.

You can park close to the playground, lay out a picnic rug on the lawns, or set yourself up on the tables and chairs if they are not already taken. There is lots of parking spaces available with parking free, all day. The children can have a play or they can go and play in the shallows if they are only little, or jump or dive off the ramps into the water. The ramps are quite a way out from the shore, so the water is deep. Please don't ever let your children swim unsupervised.

There is a lovely lawn area, with trees and a pergola, which is uphill from the water line. There are sloping lawns sweeping down to the water's edge and the playground. And there are lots of big gum trees growing on the lawns, providing some shade.

At St Helen's you can launch a boat from the boat ramp for a day of fishing in Corio Bay. When you come back you can even wash your fish on the stainless steel trays provided close to the boat ramps. There are special extended parking bays for cars and boat trailers.

When I was recently at St Helen's taking photos (on Geelong Cup Day) there were lots of people fishing from the shore,with their lines thrown out into the water, over the rocks. I spoke to one of the fishermen who told me he had caught a medium sized trevally. He told me another fisherman had taken home a decent sized flathead that day.

You can access St Helen's Beach and Playground from Holden Ave, Bay Street,North Geelong or from Swinburne Street, North Geelong. St Helen's Beach and Playground are not far from the North Geelong Railway Station. There are houses all around St Helen's Beach and Playground. It is a lovely park and play area and it's often surprising to drive off Melbourne Road, past a built up residential area, into such a pretty open space.

Up the hill, past the shoreline, close to the Pergola, there is a tribute to The Veterans who fought in Malaya, Singapore and Borneo. The Memorial is for the Veterans from the Army, the Airforce and the Navy.